Tag Archives: Ted Dent

Brandon Pirri handles the puck in his second-to-last home game as a member of the Rockford IceHogs vs Chicago, February 21, 2014photo: Todd Reicher, courtesy of Rockford IceHogs

By Chris Block

I recall day two of the 2009 NHL Entry Draft in Montreal. Then Blackhawks general manager Dale Tallon strained to holdback his excitement when talking to media types after drafting Toronto native, Brandon Pirri with the third-to-last pick in the second round of that draft.

“Terrific skills,” were the first Tallon gave when asked about Pirri. “He’s really a good hockey player. We’re very happy that we got him there. It’s the old adage, ‘(we) can’t believe he was still there.’”

Pirri had just turned 18 two months prior and was a relatively untested commodity upon entering the draft, having stuck to the Canadian junior B level after committing to join Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) in the fall of 2009.

Svedberg wrote, “On my way to shoulder surgery, would like to thank Icehogs, [Blackhawks], fans and my teammates for this season! Hope to see you again next year!”

We’ll know more later this week, but word out of IceHogs’ camp is defenseman Viktor Svedberg could be done for the season.

Svedberg, 22, last played on February 14th in a game against the Chicago Wolves in Rockford. Svedberg appeared to have suffered an upper body injury during the second period of that contest. He finished the game but has not played since.

There is no official confirmation at this point on Svedberg’s exact injury.

This season, the 6’9” first year North American blue liner has appeared in 35 games for the IceHogs, tallying 2 goals and 7 assists to go with a plus-4 even strength plus/minus rating.

When asked for an update on Svedberg’s status this past weekend, Rockford coach Ted Dent said it was “day-to-day, right now.” Since then, the team has received some bad news. Read more »

Al Cimaglia of MyFoxChicago.com and Sirius/XM Radio joined us Monday night to recap the Sochi Olympics, discuss the end of the Mike Kostka era, preview the NHL stretch run and the Blackhawks potential participation in the GM talks leading up to the trade deadline on March 5th.

-Reflections on the recently completed hockey tournament in Sochi
-Team USA players ridiculous explanation for loss to Canada
-Jason LaBarbera talks IceHogs
-Comments from Brandon Pirri and Ted Dent
-Jeremy Morin says missing playoffs last 3 seasons “kinda unacceptable”
-Morin talks focus in trying to get back to Chicago
-Dent discusses Morin’s recent game
-John Tavares injury and should NHL players go to 2018 games?
-Michael Kostka placed & claimed off waivers. What could it mean.
-What could Stan Bowman be setting up to do before the trade deadline?
-Names up for sale
-Hawks areas of need
-Al & Chris debate the Bryan Bickell mystery
-Who Bickell has to thank for his big contract
-Will Pirri be a Blackhawk again?
-And much, much, more

We’d also like to again thank MillerCoors and Molson Canadian USA for supporting our show. Visit and ‘Like’ them on Facebook and learn how you’ll have a chance to be a part of Molson’s 2014-15 NHL season brand packaging.

For those who buy or read The Committed Indian program on, or at Blackhawks home games, I have a 2-page feature running in Wednesday’s issue that hopefully you’ll find interesting. The following is a story I did on Antti Raanta that ran in The Committed Indian back in November. I’ve had requests to post it here, but kept forgetting to do so. So here it is, as it ran on 11/6/13. Raanta was recalled to the Blackhawks eleven days later, after Nikolai Khabibulin went down with a groin injury. Stan Bowman announced today that Khabibulin underwent shoulder surgery that Bowman said would keep the veteran netminder out of action another 4-5 months. Khabibulin will turn 41 this coming Monday. While Bowman claimed Khabibulin “could” return this season, that timetable would put Khabibulin out until around the time of the Stanley Cup Finals. Thus, Raanta, for the foreseeable future, is Corey Crawford’s backup and second on the Blackhawks goaltending depth chart.

A long way from his home in Finland, Antti Raanta led the Rockford IceHogs onto the ice at AT&T Center in San Antonio last month. Outside, it was just another steamy October Saturday in south Texas. Inside, the IceHogs were opening the 2013-14 season. And for Raanta, it was the beginning of the next stage in his pursuit of realizing his dream of becoming an NHL goaltender. Read more »

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“It’s day to day. This is Kyle’s fifth year here – or parts of five seasons. It’s just him being a true professional in the way he conducts himself on and off the ice. And when he crosses the line, then he’s not going to play, and he knows that. And that’s why he hasn’t played the last (four games).” – IceHogs head coach Ted Dent

By Chris Block

No one in the Blackhawks organization knows Kyle Beach better than Ted Dent. The current Rockford bench boss was an assistant when Beach first dipped his toes into the professional ranks at the end of his junior seasons in 2009 and 2010. Dent was there when Beach and Akim Aliu’s off-ice antics got the duo banished from the IceHogs during a playoff series after an incident in a Milwaukee hotel in 2009. Dent was an assistant working directly with the forwards in Beach’s first full pro season in 2010-11, and became Rockford’s head coach in the summer of 2011.

So when the word came in late October that Beach’s hockey excursion to Sweden had come to an end, and the Blackhawks 2008 1st round pick would be returning to the IceHogs roster, I asked Dent what he was expecting from Beach once he did return to the team. Read more »

After being sat out four consecutive Rockford IceHogs games due to what head coach Ted Dent called “conduct” violations, Chicago Blackhawks 2008 first-round draft pick Kyle Beach returned to the lineup on Saturday night in grand fashion.

Not only did Beach register the first hat-trick of his 175-game professional career, but he also contributed in every special teams situation in leading the IceHogs to a much-needed 4-3 victory over their rival Chicago Wolves after Rockford suffered a 7-1 shellacking in Rosemont the previous night.

Following Saturday night’s game, we had an opportunity to sit down for an exclusive one-on-one interview with the often beleaguered former 1st round draft pick. Read more »

On Sunday night, I had the pleasure once again of joining our friends CT and “the Forklift” over at Hockeenight.com for their PuckCast.

Over the course of the show we discussed the Blackhawks so-so start, Kyle Beach‘s recent claim about the role he was “forced” to play, Joakim Nordstrom’s game, whose behind him and whether or not he should be sent down to Rockford. We also discuss Brandon Pirri, Jimmy Hayes, the second-line center position, what should be done and who are the other top candidates for recall at this point.

Rockford’s 2-2 start is covered in detail, all the prospects and Fork’s favorites. We discussed off season changes; Maxim Shalunov‘s first AHL shift gone terribly awry, and a funny story about Maxim Shalunov’s first interaction with the IceHogs training staff gone terribly awry; Kent Simpson going for Rockford’s star player one weekend to bench warmer the next; which Blackhawks prospect is likely to jump straight from college into the NHL, the Islanders terrible future home, Mariano Rivera, the fate of MSG, Laschet’s Inn, some Russian military history, a Jock Callander sighting and much, much more.

Its the longest PuckCast in more than three years and second-longest ever.

The Rockford IceHogs began the 2013-14 regular season on Saturday night with a porous performance in San Antonio, Texas.

A re-stocked group of young IceHogs led by now AHL veterans Brandon Pirri, Jeremy Morin and Dylan Olsen committed one careless turnover after another in route to a 3-1 loss to the Florida Panthers minor league affiliate.

The loss was also costly in that the IceHogs lost two players to injury.

Annti Raanta left the game at the 5:36 mark of the first period. Raanta had taken an Eric Selleck 12-foot one-time attempt off the inside of his left knee at the 2:58 mark of the first. Raanta smothered Selleck’s shot, but crumpled to the ice in obvious discomfort, favoring his left leg. After consulting with IceHogs’ trainer D.J. Jones, Raanta opted to stay in the game. He would stop one more San Antonio shot before deciding he couldn’t continue and Kent Simpson entered the contest with 14:24 to go in the opening period. Read more »

The Rockford IceHogs open their 2013-14 this weekend in Texas and Chicago Blackhawks 2009 1st round draft pick Dylan Olsen is looking to put a disappointing 2012-13 season behind him.

We caught up with Olsen in Rockford this past Saturday.

In this interview, Olsen discusses his goals for this season, working his way back up the ladder in the Hawks organization, being tougher to play against, an increased role in Rockford, working with new assistant coach Mark Osiecki, how he spent his summer and much more.